The bottle is then riddled, so that the lees settles in the neck of the wine bottle...
Manual riddling is still done for Prestige Cuvées in Champagne... mechanised riddling equipment (a gyropalette) is used instead.
(Wikipedia)

I understand why the fish would need some sort of canes or crutches, being truly congenitally handicapped due to the lack of legs or even feet. But wouldn't it have been best if the fish, while at the dry goods shoppe, had additionally purchased some sort of SCABA (Self Contained Atmospheric Breathing Apparatus) so as to, you know, not DIE?